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A M E R I C A N D E N TA L E D U C AT I O N A S S O C I AT I O N
adea.org/GoDental
here do y ou START?
W
Which COURSES do you need to take?
The following guide, developed by the American Dental Education Association (ADEA), will answer
all of these questions, and more, to help prepare you for the dental school application process.
FRESHMAN YEAR
• Meet with a health professions advisor.
• Enroll in either biology or chemistry courses, as recommended by your advisor.
• Join a predental or prehealth professions club at your school. This is a great opportunity to meet
other like-minded students, network, become involved in community service and form study
groups for your courses. Meeting junior and senior predental students also gives you a great
opportunity to learn about the dental school application process firsthand.
• Learn more about careers in the dental profession. Speak with your own dentist and learn about
the advantages and challenges of the profession. Based on what you learn, consider why a career
in dentistry appeals to you.
• Start exploring scholarship and fellowship opportunities so you can begin budgeting now for
your continuing education.
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FRESHMAN YEAR—SUMMER
• Participate in a summer academic enrichment program like
the Summer Medical and Dental Education Program (SMDEP).
SMDEP is a free six-week summer medical and dental school
preparatory program that offers eligible students intensive and
personalized medical and dental school enrichment and career
experiences. Housing and meals are provided. Visit smdep.org
for more information.
• Not able to participate in SMDEP? That’s okay. Check out other
summer enrichment opportunities, or work or volunteer in the
health care environment within your community. Ideally, work
in a dental office or clinic. Learn as much as you can about
Which
what dental professionals do and the issues impacting the
profession. Also, ask your dentist or oral surgeon to share his
PrerequisiTe
or her philosophy of providing dental care. courses
should i TaKe?
SOPHOMORE YEAR Traditionally, dental
• Start thinking about selecting a major. Remember, you do not schools have selected
have to be a science major to attend dental school, but you do candidates for admission
need to complete specific science courses. who included the
following coursework
• Work with your advisor to identify special opportunities
in their undergraduate
for the upcoming summer. If you qualify and were unable to
curriculum:
attend the previous summer, consider applying to SMDEP or
other preparatory programs. Many universities and dental ✔ Two semesters
schools offer summer workshops to enhance study skills, expose (three quarters) of
undergraduates to the profession and prepare for the Dental biology with lab
Admission Test (DAT). Be sure to check application deadlines for ✔ Two semesters
these programs. (three quarters)
• Become actively involved in your predental club. Sign up of general chemistry
for committee work, help organize events and participate with lab
in activities. ✔ Two semesters
• Start putting together a financial plan for applying (three quarters)
to dental school. Take into consideration fees for the DAT, of organic chemistry
the ADEA Associated American Dental Schools Application with lab
Service (ADEA AADSAS®), supplemental application fees ✔ Two semesters
to the dental schools, plus the cost of participating in on-site (three quarters) of
interviews. physics with lab
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DAT Fees: The DAT fee is $415 and includes the Interviews: Keep in mind that if you secure an
exam and the sending of your score report to interview with a dental school, you may have to
dental schools listed during registration. travel and stay in a hotel near the school. Consider
ADEA AADSAS® Application Fees: The ADEA the cost of travel, hotel and food while you are
AADSAS application fee for your first dental interviewing. You may also have to purchase an
school is $245. Each additional school you apply outfit for the interview if you do not already have
to is $93. ADEA AADSAS offers application fee one, so be sure to factor in that cost as well.
assistance to those who demonstrate extreme Deposit: When you are accepted to a dental
financial need. school and decide to attend, you will have to
Dental School Supplemental Fees: Most dental give the school a deposit to hold your spot in
schools require applicants to pay a supplemental the first-year class. This deposit is often
application fee. Fees range from as little as $35 applied to your first-year tuition and is usually
to as much as $100 and can change from year to nonrefundable, even if you decide last minute
year. Check with specific schools to determine not to attend the school. These deposits tend
their application fees. to range from $500 to $2,000.
JUNIOR YEAR
• Complete biology and chemistry courses in preparation for taking the DAT in late spring of your
junior year.
• Review the dental school application process and create a timeline for the submission of your
application materials. All U.S. dental schools participate in ADEA AADSAS, the centralized dental
school application service offered through ADEA. Look over the application and begin
formulating your application information.
• Meet with your advisor to find out how your school handles letters of recommendation. Identify
individuals to write letters of recommendation on your behalf and communicate submission
deadlines to them. Make sure you document your dental office observation experiences.
• Participate in campus visitations from dental school admissions officers, visit dental schools and
talk to dental students and admissions officers.
• Continue to actively participate in predental organization activities.
• Identify a strategy to prepare for the DAT. Obtain a sample DAT from the American Dental
Association (no charge).
• Register for the DAT with the American Dental Association. The ideal time to take the DAT is
at the end of your junior year, spring semester, or immediately after you have completed your
organic chemistry courses. After submitting your application, you will receive instructions to
schedule your test date. The DAT is a computerized examination and can be taken at a date
and time of your choosing. Your registration is valid for six months.
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JUNIOR YEAR—SUMMER
• Submit your ADEA AADSAS application, indicating the dental schools to which you want your
application materials sent. The ADEA AADSAS application cycle generally opens on or around
June 1. An early application significantly enhances your chances of having your application
reviewed early. Don't procrastinate and let application deadlines sneak up on you!
• If possible, work, volunteer or participate in a summer predental program at a dental school.
SENIOR YEAR
• Complete advanced science courses. Although most schools only require a year of biology, most
dental students will tell you that additional courses, particularly in the biological sciences, prepare
you better for the fast-paced dental school curriculum.
• Finish up all course requirements for your degree.
• Prepare to go on interviews. Participate in mock interviews offered by your predental organization
or career center.
• Dental schools typically begin making offers of admission after December 1. Depending on the
date of an offer of admission, you will have a specific response time. Most (but not all) schools
require a deposit to reserve a space in the class at the time you accept the offer of admission.
• Once you receive an offer of admission, initiate the financial aid application process to the
dental school you choose to attend. Don't procrastinate! Many financial aid awards are based
on the date of application. Work with your dental school’s financial aid office to stay on top
of the application process.
SENIOR YEAR—SUMMER
• Prepare for your enrollment in dental school. This could mean participating in a pre-freshman
experience, working and earning a few more dollars before starting school, or traveling and
relaxing. Have fun!
• Brush up on your reading. Once you are in a dental program, the amount of reading that you will
do will be different from what you have done as an undergraduate student. Try reading more
books, magazines, newspapers, etc. Anything that will help you work on reading speed and
comprehension will help you prepare for dental school.
• Keep working on your hand skills. Continue to play an instrument, participate in sports, knit, or
whatever other activities you enjoy that will keep your hand skills sharp.
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• Natural sciences (biology, general • You can only take the test three times unless
chemistry and organic chemistry). you get special permission from the ADA.
Congratulations!
after months of working hard on your applications and the daT, you’ve finally
gotten a well-deserved invitation to interview at a dental school.
Now you have a few weeks to arrange your Who are the interviewers?
travel and housing, not to mention a short trip Interviewers at most dental schools are faculty
to a store to select your interview attire. who are taking their time to participate in the
Just as you have spent a lot of time preparing admissions process. Some schools select students
for the DAT by understanding the test format or alumni who may be involved either formally
with interview evaluations or informally to field
and timing, you need to also take some time
general questions about their school. Admissions,
to know how the interviews work.
student affairs and financial aid staff also
occasionally interview applicants.
Will the interviewers review your
file before your interview? What is the structure of
Many schools will encourage their interviewers to the interview?
conduct “open-file” interviews. This means that the Each admissions office determines how many
interviewer (usually a faculty member) will have a candidates are scheduled for a specific interview
chance to look over your ADEA AADSAS and day, so the structure of the interview may
supplemental application materials prior to meeting depend on how many interviewers are scheduled
with you. This way, the interviewer can gain insight to meet with the candidates. Traditionally,
into what you bring to the table through your interviews are conducted with one interviewer
conversations and explore elements of your questioning one candidate for as brief as 15
application in greater depth. Some schools will minutes to as long as one hour. Sometimes
exclude any transcript or DAT scores when interviews are conducted with a panel of two or
distributing your file so that an interviewer will avoid three interviewers for each candidate for 30
fixating on grades during the interview. minutes up to one hour. Panel interviews may also
Other schools will conduct “closed-file” interviews. mix “open” and “closed” file formats, as one panel
In this format, the interviewers interview each interviewer may have access to your file while the
candidate without looking at the applicant’s file. other is blind to your file.
Because the interviewer is blind to your application, More recently, interview formats have been
the conversation is expected to be more organic created to allow interviewers to assess more group
and exploratory. dynamics in an interview. As a result, group
Sometimes, an interviewer will have access to your interviews, in which an interviewer asks questions
file but will prefer to review it after interviewing you. to three or more candidates, are becoming more
This method allows the interviewer to interact with common. Sometimes there is a second interviewer
you without seeing any prior information. Technically who can help facilitate the discussion. These
such interviews are considered “open-file” even group interviews can last between 20 minutes
though the conversation is conducted “closed-file.” and one hour.
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